Integrated shipping label and customs form

ABSTRACT

The systems and methods described herein relate generally to the integration of a shipping label with a customs form to provide a single label having postage, addressing, customs and other information for international shipping. In one embodiment, a method for generating an international shipping a package comprises the steps of providing shipping information associated with the package, the information comprising address information of the origin, address information of the destination, postage information including a postage amount due to a post service and a customs form number unique within the post service; processing a shipping label having the shipping information displayed thereon; and affixing the shipping label to the package.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 60/584,801, filed Jun. 30, 2004, entitled“Integrated Shipping Label and Customs Form,”the contents of which arehereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The systems and methods described herein relate generally to theintegration of a shipping label with a customs form to provide a singlelabel having postage, addressing, customs and other information forinternational shipping.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The current procedure for preparing an international package forshipping involves a number of time-consuming steps. First, the shippinglabel must be generated. The typical minimum amount of information isthe destination address and the sender's address. Secondly, some form ofUS postage must be affixed to the package. This could be conventionalstamps, a postage meter strip from a conventional meter, a PVI postagestrip issued by a US Post Office, or digital or “Information BasedIndicia” postage (sometimes referred to as “PC postage”). Online postagewas first described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,319,562 to Whitehouse, filed Aug.22, 1991. A subsequent patent, U.S. Pat. No. 6,005,945 to Whitehouse,filed Mar. 20, 1997, described an extension of the Online postageconcept—a centralized postage system premised on Web or TelephonicMilli-Transactions. Both of these patents are herein incorporated byreference in their entirety.

Thirdly, the US Postal Service, along with the Universal Postal Union(“UPU”) and the World Customs Organization (“WCO”), has historicallyrequired a separate and distinct customs declaration form, which must beaffixed to the package. One of the simplest customs and declarationforms 10 is the PS 2976 (alternately referred to as the CN22), arepresentative diagram of which is shown in FIG. 1. The form 10 repeatsthe sender 20 and recipient 30 address information, and adds details 40as to the contents of the package including value and classification(Gift, Sample, Documents, Other). The newer forms, shown below, includea 6 digit Harmonization Schedule (“HS”) Number which represents theproduct using an internationally-established classification system.

A similar form 60, shown in FIG. 2, the PS 2976A (also known as theCP72) is used for certain sub-classes of mail, or when package valuationexceeds $500. The data on the 2976A is virtually the same as that on the2976, e.g., sender 70 and recipient 80 information and details ofcontents 90, but there are multiple copies (up to 5) and the format islarger.

These conventional forms are time consuming to complete, and replicatemuch of the data on the shipping label itself. The forms must beproperly matched with the shipping label and postage which, in a highvolume shipping environment, can be problematic.

The right hand side of the 2976 (CN22) form 10 is designed to beseparated and left at the US Post Office, which inducts the mail. Thecopy is stored in a manual filing system for 30 days and then discarded.In the case of the 2976A, e.g., form 60, one complete copy of the form60 is held at the origin Post Office for 30 days. The purpose of thisstorage is to provide some record of the induction of the mail piece.But the storage protocol is archaic and very inefficient. If informationis requested for a given package, the originating Post Office or Stationmust first be determined, and then a manual search of the hardcopyrecords must be undertaken by USPS personnel at that Post Office. Theinformation is only retained for 30 days, which in many cases, is ashorter period of time than the overall delivery cycle (particularly inthe case of Surface International mail subclasses which are transportedby boat).

Accordingly, improved international shipping labels, methods ofinternational shipping, and systems and methods for storing dataassociated with international shipments are desirable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The systems and methods described herein relate generally to theintegration of a shipping label with a customs form to provide a singlelabel having postage, addressing, customs and other information forinternational shipping. In one embodiment, a method for generating aninternational shipping a package comprises the steps of providingshipping information associated with the package, the informationcomprising address information of the origin, address information of thedestination, postage information including a postage amount due to apost service and a customs form number unique within the post service;processing a shipping label having the shipping information displayedthereon; and affixing the shipping label to the package.

In another embodiment, an online postage system configured toelectronically generate an integrated shipping label comprises an enduser computer, a centralized postage-issuing computer system, and acommunications link connecting the end user computer with thecentralized postage-issuing computer system. The end user computer isconfigured to transmit a request for postage indicium to thecentralized-issuing computer system over the communications link, andthe centralized postage-issuing computer system is configured forgenerating and transmitting a self-validating unique postage indicium tothe end user computer over the communications link, the self-validatingunique postage indicium containing a character string unique to thepostal system and a digital signature derived from the unique characterstring. The end user computer is further configured to generate aninternational shipping label having a customs form and add theself-validating unique postage indicium to the international shippinglabel.

Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the invention will beor will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination ofthe following figures and detailed description. It is intended that allsuch additional systems, methods, features and advantages be includedwithin this description, be within the scope of the invention, and beprotected by the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The details of the invention, including fabrication, structure andoperation, may be gleaned in part by study of the accompanying figures,in which like reference numerals refer to like segments.

FIG. 1 depicts a copy of the PS 2976 customs declaration form.

FIG. 2 depicts a copy of the PS 2976A customs declaration form.

FIG. 3 is a system diagram of an online postage system known in the art.

FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary embodiment of an integrated shipping label.

FIG. 5 depicts an exemplary embodiment of an integrated shipping label.

FIG. 6 depicts an exemplary embodiment of an integrated shipping label.

FIG. 7 depicts an exemplary embodiment of an integrated shipping label.

FIG. 8 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a user interface.

FIG. 9 a depicts an exemplary embodiment of a user interface.

FIG. 9 b depicts an exemplary embodiment of a user interface.

FIG. 9 c depicts an exemplary embodiment of a user interface.

FIG. 10 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a user interface.

FIG. 11 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a user interface.

FIG. 12 a depicts an exemplary embodiment of a user interface.

FIG. 12 b depicts an exemplary embodiment of a user interface.

FIG. 13 is a process in accordance with a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The systems and methods described herein provide for an integratedshipping label having international shipping and customs informationdisplayed thereon. The integrated shipping label can be used in place ofthe conventional shipping label and separate customs form used by postservices, such as the United States Post Service (“USPS”). Theintegrated shipping label has a unique customs form number displayedthereon, preferably in barcode format. The unique customs form number isunique within the post service system and can have any desired shippingand customs information for the package associated with it. Furthermore,the systems and methods allow for electronically storing data associatedwith each package shipment. The systems and methods allow for themanagement of a discount service on behalf of a post service using acentralized Online postage system.

In a preferred embodiment, the systems and methods described herein canbe used with the systems and methods described in U.S. Pat. No.5,341,505, issued Aug. 23, 1994, U.S. Pat. No. 6,005,945, issued Dec.21, 1999, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 2003/0101143, published onMay 29, 2003, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 2003/0101147 published onMay 29, 2003 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 2003/0101148, alsopublished on May 29, 2003. Each of these patents and applications areherein incorporated by reference in their entirety. These patents andapplications, in part, point out the value of using tracking (ordelivery confirmation) numbers on domestic USPS shipments to reducefraud, provide a refund methodology which accounts for misprints andother events outside of the user's control. These applications also setforth a centralized online postage system capable of use with thesystems and methods described herein.

For example, turning to FIG. 3, the computer environment in which a usermay purchase online postage is shown. A user at a personal computer 11 aconnects to a server computer 12 configured to enable the user toelectronically purchase valid postage, typically via an Internet-typenetwork 13. The user interacts with a software program, e.g., DAZzle byEnvelope Manager Software, on the personal computer 11 a, downloadedfrom the server computer 12, installed on the personal computer 11 a,and/or embedded in a web page accessible via a Web browser, that allowsthe user to manage postage purchases.

Turning to FIG. 4, the USPS has a general format for “universal”shipping labels, which are shipping labels for international shipmentsof US origin or destination, that can be generated electronically. Theshipping label 400 is generally about 4×6 inches in size, landscapestyle, and includes a large capital “I” 450, which typically has a seriffont. Also included is content identification 460, e.g., gift,documents, commercial samples, or other, and sender's instructions 470,e.g., return to sender or abandon upon non-delivery. The label 400 canalso include insurance information 480, such as insurance number andinsured amount. A printout of the label 400 is preferably four-ply, withtwo copies provided for customs declaration, one for dispatch note, andone customer copy. An online label record may also be provided. Theonline record contains the customs number and can be used forconfirmation of acceptance by the Postal Service. The record can also beused as the proof of mailing receipt for customers who choose to bringtheir items to a post office for postage and acceptance. A Post Officecopy is no longer required because the information is stored in adatabase and retained for six months.

A shipping label 400 also provides service type, e.g., Global PriorityMail, Global Airmail, or Global Economy. A shipping label correspondingto each of these service types are shown in FIGS. 4-6 respectively. FIG.4 shows a shipping label 400 corresponding to Global Economy Parcel Post410. FIG. 5 shows a shipping label 500 corresponding to Global AirmailParcel Post 510. FIG. 6 shows a shipping label 600 corresponding toGlobal Priority Mail 610.

Also included in a shipping label 400 is a barcode 420, typically a CodeU128 type barcode. The barcode 420 typically appears above the addresssegment 430 as shown in FIG. 4. The barcode 420 includes a customs formtracking number, e.g., 2976-A, assigned to uniquely identify the mailpiece. Below the barcode 420 are human readable numbers 425, which arealso used to identify the mail piece. For label 400 graphics, 200 dotsper inch (“dpi”) is preferably used and can be in graphic image file(“GIF”), tagged image file(“TIF”), or portable document (“PDF”) format.

Postage can be paid with postage stamps, postage meter stamps, postagevalidation imprinter (PVI) label, or permit imprint. A designatedpostage area 480 alongside the “I” 450 is reserved for placement of thepostage. In addition, the postage indicia disclosed in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/990,605 filed Nov. 20, 2001 may be used in thearea 480 as well as the postage marks and indicia disclosed in U.S. Pat.Nos. 5,319,562 and 5,341,505 as well as the other patents incorporatedherein by reference.

FIG. 7 depicts a preferred embodiment of an integrated shipping label700 having both customs information as well as postage indicia 705. Thesender's 710 and recipient's 720 address appear in the center of thelabel 700. The sender's 710 address is generally left justified andpreferably automatically populates “USA” in bold capital letters. Therecipient's 720 address's destination country is also bolded with largefont. A two-dimensional barcode 730 includes digitally-signed data whichincludes among other things the sender's USPS meter account number,origin ZIP code, postage date, and postage amount. Preferably, thecustoms form number (or significant digits from this number) is alsoembedded into the postage indicia 705, which can then be used as aunique identifier linked to the postage transaction. The customs formnumber is also represented by a one dimensional barcode 740. Because thebarcode 730 includes the senders USPS meter account number, theinternational shipment may advantageously be traced back to the sender.

The systems and methods described herein allow the integration ofheretofore disparate subcomponents used to ship packages from the UnitedStates to foreign countries into a single, integrated label combiningdigital postage, addressing, and customs form information. Furthermore,the systems and methods include the transfer of package data to acentralized and secure data storage cluster so that all data associatedwith a given package (sender, recipient, sub-class of mail, packagecontents, and valuation) can be aggregated in an easily accessed datarepository. These data can be used to expedite the flow of goods throughforeign customs operations, assist in the tracking of packages, enhancethe security and safety of the common carriers transporting thesepackages, and assist law enforcement agencies both in the US and abroadto investigate potential criminal or terrorist activity.

The ability to produce such a shipping label also represents atremendous time savings for international shippers since the addressing,postage payment and customs form preparation become integrated. Thesesystems and methods can also be extended to manage postage discountprograms (which are common in the United States for certain sub-classesof International mail). Discount programs managed via the embodimentsdescribed herein can be administered at lower costs and reduce US PostalService financial losses due to the elimination of induction accountingerrors and omissions common with permit-based mailing programs.

These systems and methods leverage the features of a centralized onlinepostage system (such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,005,945 anddescribed above) which allows for the real-time capture of dataassociated with a postage transaction. Mailing software utilized by theonline postage system can be implemented to allow a user to generate anintegrated label 700 having the addressee information, the appropriatepostage, and customs information. An example user interface 800 for suchmailing software is shown in FIG. 8. The user interface 800 includes aworkspace 810 that allows a user to design an integrated label 700.Further included is a toolbar 805 that provides tools such as “save”,which allows a user to save a design on a non-volatile memory and “fileopen”, which allows a user to open a saved design. Also included is an“address book” 815 that allows a user to store a plurality of addressesto be readily merged with the designed shipping label 700.

The mailing software further includes helper screens 900, as shown inFIG. 9, which are configured to assist the user in, among other things,determining the correct amount of international postage, importrestrictions to the foreign country, and customs form requirements forthe shipping label 700. As shown in FIG. 9 a, a helper screen 900provides a user with a plurality of tools to establish postage rates foran international location, such as Italy 910. The screen 900 allows auser to establish postage type 920, e.g., airmail, high priority, etc.and weight 930. The postage rate may then be calculated based on theuser's established information. Also included are tools for restrictions940, prohibitions 935, observations 945, customs forms 950, areas served930, and express mail service 970 as would be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art.

Turning to FIG. 9 b, the prohibitions tool 935 of the user interface 900is shown. The tool 935 shows a list of goods 936 prohibited for mailingto a particular country, e.g., France. Turning to FIG. 9 c, therestrictions tool 940 of the user interface is shown. The tool 940 showsa list of restrictions 941 that apply to mail to a particular country,e.g., France. This information is generally provided by the destinationcountry and disseminated by the USPS to international shippers.Historically, this information has been available in printed catalogs.Recently, this information has been made available electronically. Theuser interface 900 utilizes the electronic information.

Turning to FIG. 10, another user interface 1000 of the mailing softwareis shown for establishing and printing an integrated shipping label 700.The user interface 1000 allows a user to establish postage type 1045,weight 1047, date 1049, track option 1051, insurance 1055, and value1057. The user interface 1000 also allows a user to purchase the postage1061, international rates 1065, and print a test label 1067. The userinterface 1000 further allows a user to provide package information1059, such as description of package. Other tools within this userinterface include page setup 1026, address information 1030 and customsinformation 1040.

Turning to FIG. 11, the customs information 1040 tool of the print userinterface 1000 is shown. The customs information tool 1040 allows a userto select the proper form 1100, provide a description of the contents1110, and select the type of contents 1120, e.g., sample, gift,documents, or other.

By using the postage indicia 705 described above in the universalshipping labels 700, which are generated by the online postage systemdescribed above, each label printed can have an associated data recordstored at a central location. In the case of domestic packages, the dataincludes the complete destination address, complete sender information,tracking or delivery confirmation number, package weight, postageapplied, and mail class (e.g. Priority). In the case of an internationalpackage, the data is expanded to include a description of contents, thevalue of the contents, and the country of origin for the goods.Furthermore, all of this data is indexed by a unique identifier—thecustoms form number.

This approach alleviates the need for the 30 day storage of a customsform hardcopy at the origin Post Office. In the existing system, if theinformation is needed, the origin Post Office must be located, contactedand a manual search for the information must be instituted. Thesesystems and methods provide a simple index lookup procedure which can beaccessed by the Internet, e.g., via a Web browser. By entering a uniqueidentifier, e.g., the customs form number, data about the sender and thepackage shipped by the sender as well as package status may beretrieved. This type of information can be used by customs personnel (inthe US and in foreign countries), by air transportation coordinators,and law enforcement to further advance the safety of commercialshipping.

To achieve some measure of standardization in customs-relatedinformation globally, the Universal Postal Union (“UPU”) has developed anumerical “harmonization” table which maps products into numerical codescalled “HS” codes. The US and other countries have been moving towardsrequiring shippers to provide both product description and HS code aspart of the customs form information. However, the HS requirement maycreate a burden on those unfamiliar with the codes. A lookup mechanismmay be added to the mailing software that allows the determination ofthe appropriate HS code. Turning to FIG. 12 a, a user interface 1200that allows a user to establish the proper HS code is shown. The userinterface 1200 provides a text box 1210 that allows a user to perform atext-based search for the proper HS code, provided in a list box 1220.For example, typing the two words “cotton” and “shirt” in the text box1210 institutes a Boolean search through the HS database to find alloccurrences of these two words. Note that customs organizations make adistinction between, e.g., cotton shirts and shirts made of othermaterials. Similarly, there is a distinction between men and women'sshirts, a night shirts. Wheeled toys are considered to be distinct fromgeneral toys.

This simplified lookup process can be integrated into the mailingsoftware when a user is filling out the contents descriptions. In thisway the user can be forced to choose amongst standardized descriptivetext, rather than typing in free-form (and potentially incorrect orvague) information. In the alternative, the lookup process may be usedas an adjunct or an option to a free form goods description. Recordingcontents data by HS number rather than by free form text also hasbenefits in reducing the data storage requirements for historicalshipment information stored at the centralized postage server site.

Turning back to FIGS. 9 b and 9 c, the list of prohibited 936 andrestrict 941 goods may pose difficulty for a user attempting to comparethe list to the description of the actual item being shipped by theuser. An approach to alleviate this task is to recast the lists 936 and941 into their corresponding HS code or HTS numbers. For example, forradioactive materials 937 in the list of prohibited goods 936, thecorresponding HTS number is 28444000. Turning to FIG. 12 b, the userinterface 1200 is shown with a search done of “radioactive” materials1230. The search results 1240 reveal that there is only one HTS numberthat corresponds with such type of goods. Also shown is a search done of“bees” 1250. The search results 1255 reveal that there are multipleentries. Any of these entries may trigger a warning message to the user,instructing the user that there are restrictions/prohibitions in placefor such type of goods being sent to the desired country.

If the prohibitions and restrictions are cast in terms of HTS numbersfor each country, the mailing software can enforce the prohibitions andissue warnings for restricted items. This can be achieved by requiringthat descriptions be selected from a searchable HTS list and not typedfree-form, and then the selected HTS numbers could be compared to thelist of restricted and prohibited HTS numbers for the country ofinterest. The software can provide a hard lock-out—preventing the userfrom printing the shipping label and accompanying customs form—or issuewarning messages of varying severity.

There are a number of advantages in an international shipping systemwhich fundamentally operates using the HTS numbers. First, languagebarriers are eliminated at foreign customs operations. A Bulgariancustoms official may not be very well versed in English, but he/she willknow the international HTS numbers relevant to his country intimately.

Second, the use of HTS numbers offers the shipper an automatedsoftware-based means to insure they are not inadvertently shippingrestricted or prohibited goods to foreign countries. For such goods,there is no guarantee the goods will be returned to the shipper.Thirdly, the use of HTS numbers provides a convenient and uniform way toconstruct electronic manifests of what goes on any aircraft of ship.This is significant given the current geo-political situation.

As described above, the online postage system can transmit the detailedlist of items (including HTS) number about a shipment to both thecentral postage services and those of the USPS using the customs formnumber as an index for this detailed data. Thus, scanning a customs formbarcode created by systems described above will allow for aninstantaneous lookup of all the items in that package including the HTScode for each item.

The systems and methods described herein also provide for the managementof USPS and other post service discount programs. Certain internationalsubclasses of mail—namely Global Express Mail—offer discount programsfor volume mailers. International mail is the only mail the USPS hasfreedom to negotiate rates on—domestic rates are locked by a completePostal Rate Commission process. Currently, the USPS administers theinternational discount program in a inefficient and expensive way. TheUSPS discounts range from 5% to 12% depending upon annual packagevolume. The USPS administers this process through a permit-basedaccounting scheme. In addition to the potential for revenue loss atinduction as described above, the discount program requires additionalaccounting and management by USPS personnel. Discounts are based onestimated volumes, not actual volumes, and the discount schedule cantherefore be out of synch with actual mailer's shipment activity.

The systems and methods described herein provide a means of managingsuch discount programs on behalf of the USPS. A centralized onlinepostage vendor collects funds prior to postage consumption by creditcard, ACH direct debit, or commercial check. Mailers “draw down” ontheir account balance as they print postage labels. A discount programadministered in this environment may provide the following advantages:each package bears full rate postage for the destination country andweight; there is no revenue loss at induction since this is prepaidpostage and not a permit-based system; discounts can be applied afterthe fact, reflecting the actual performance of the shipper and notestimate volumes; discounts can be inexpensively applied as “electroniccredits” to the mailer's existing postage meter account; and USPSauditors and the USPS Inspection Service have access to detailedpackage-by-package accounting for all discount program participants.

Volume mailers often use USPS permit account as a means to pay forinternational shipments. With such mailers, a permit number andcity/state of issue replace the live digital postage indicium. Whilehistorically convenient for the mailer, this approach is prone torevenue loss by the USPS. The USPS staff must be careful to make fullnote of all permit mail inducted. Failure to do so will result in theUSPS assuming responsibility for delivering the package without drawingfunds from the mailer's permit account. USPS losses due to inductionfailures of this nature are estimated to be on the order of 1-3% oftotal permit revenue.

These systems and methods described herein provide the mailer with theprinting convenience of a permit while simultaneously assuring the USPSof receiving the associated revenue. By printing live online postagefrom an active USPS meter account, there is no need for inductionaccounting at the Post Office and therefore no associate revenue loss.Further, the USPS and mailer save the time and expense of a face-to-faceinduction process. The completely prepaid packages can be picked up by aUSPS carrier during normal rounds or quickly dropped off at any USPSfacility.

USPS shipping labels differ from other carriers' labels in that theyrepresent negotiable US funds. If a hardware or software error causesthis print cycle to fail, the associated dollar amount of the label ispotentially lost to the mailer. Unless properly addressed, these lossescan drive a shipper away from USPS as a carrier into competing carrierssuch as FedEx or UPS who have a different billing scheme.

The systems and methods described herein provide a refund protocol fordomestic mail labels that carry some form of delivery confirmation ortracking barcode. The documents incorporated by reference describe ameans by which data stored by the centralized postage cluster inconjunction with USPS delivery scan information to determine if end-userrefund requests are reasonable. International shipping labels have beenproblematic in this regard because only a very limited subset of USPSInternational mail is tracked—specifically the relatively expensiveGlobal Express Mail and Global Express Guaranteed services. Not only arethese services expensive, they are offered for only a limited number offoreign countries. In point of fact, the vast majority of US-originatingmail to foreign countries is not tracked in anyway.

These systems and methods bond a unique customs form ID to a postagetransaction. Due to security requirements, all international packagesover 1 lb must carry a customs form, and furthermore all customs formsmust be scanned and “round-stamped” by USPS personnel at acceptance. Theround stamp is an indication to downstream mail processing facilities(the ˜10 USPS International Service Centers located on US soil whichmanage all foreign outbound mail) that a local post office authority hasaccepted the package in either a face-to-face transaction, or via asecure protocol where the mailer is identified as a “known-mailer”.

The customs form barcode number, which is scanned at the origin postoffice, is transmitted nightly via the USPS internal network to a USPSdatabase referred to as “GoldMine”—currently located in the Eagan, MNPostal Data Center. GoldMine data includes the date and time of theinduction scan, the origin zip code of the Post Office, the packageweight (as confirmed by measurement by USPS staff), the destinationcountry, the mail class and the International Service Center (ICS) whichwill handle this package.

The Goldmine database has been used little if at all by USPS in pastyears. These systems and methods allow the use of this USPS database andsimilar other databases as a means to authenticate refund requests oninternational shipping labels featuring an integrated customs form andcustoms form ID. While the USPS Goldmine database is on an internalnetwork, all USPS approved online postage vendors also have access tothis network. The refund procedure 1300 is illustrated in FIG. 13. Amailer (end-user) would request a refund for a given mailing label withassociated customs form ID. The request would be fielded by thecentralized postage system on behalf of the USPS (action block 1310).The postage system would query the USPS Goldmine database for areasonable time frame (e.g. 2 weeks) to see if any induction scan hadbeen undertaken for that label (action block 1320). If no induction scanwas recorded by the Goldmine database after the time period expired(decision block 1330), the refund would be granted (action block 1340).Additional audit controls can be installed to track refund trends with agiven user to detect systematic abuse of the refund request process.

In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described withreference to specific embodiments thereof. It will, however, be evidentthat various modifications and changes may be made thereto withoutdeparting from the broader spirit and scope of the invention. Forexample, each feature of one embodiment can be mixed and matched withother features shown in other embodiments. Features and processes knownto those of ordinary skill may similarly be incorporated as desired.Additionally and obviously, features may be added or subtracted asdesired. Accordingly, the invention is not to be restricted except inlight of the attached claims and their equivalents.

1. A non-transitory computer-usable medium communicatively coupled to anonline postage system configured to enable a user computer to print aninternational shipping label for use within an international postalsystem, the computer-usable medium having a sequence of instructionswhich, when executed on a processor, cause the processor to: generate apostage indicium in response to a request received from the usercomputer, wherein the postage indicium is a self-validating postageindicium unique within the international postal system, the uniqueself-validating postage indicium containing a character string unique tothe international postal System and a digital signature derived from theunique character string; transmit the unique self-validating postageindicium to the user computer over a communications link; and enable theuser computer to print an international shipping label having a plaintext customs declaration form, the unique self-validating postageindicium, and a customs form tracking number printed thereon, whereinthe plain text customs declaration form includes a field for providing aplain text description of contents for an international package ontowhich the international shipping label is to be placed, and wherein thecustoms form tracking number is unique within the international postalsystem and logically linked to the unique self-validating postageindicium and the plain text customs declaration form printed on theinternational shipping label.
 2. The computer-usable medium of claim 1,wherein the unique self-validating postage indicium includes atwo-dimensional barcode.
 3. The computer-usable medium of claim 1,wherein the sequence of instructions further cause the processor toprovide the user computer with import restrictions for a desired countrywhere the international package is to be shipped.
 4. The computer-usablemedium of claim 1, wherein the sequence of instructions further causethe processor to provide the user computer with a harmonization tablethat maps a plurality of product descriptions to a plurality ofnumerical harmonization schedule codes, wherein the plurality ofnumerical harmonization schedule codes represent the plurality ofproduct descriptions using an international classification system. 5.The computer-usable, medium of claim 4, wherein the sequence ofinstructions further cause the processor to provide the user computerwith import restrictions for a desired country where the internationalpackage is to be shipped based on the plurality of numericalharmonization schedule codes in the harmonization table.
 6. Thecomputer-usable medium of claim 4, wherein the plain text description ofthe contents for the international package comprises one or more of theplurality of numerical harmonization schedule codes that represent thecontents for the international package using the internationalclassification system.
 7. The computer-usable medium of claim 6, whereinthe one or more numerical harmonization schedule codes that representthe contents for the international package are identified in a Booleansearch through the harmonization table provided to the user computer. 8.The computer-usable medium of claim 1, wherein the sequence ofinstructions further cause the processor to enable the user computer toselect one of a global priority delivery type, a global airmail deliverytype, or a global economy delivery type, the international shippinglabel further having the selected delivery type printed thereon.
 9. Thecomputer-usable medium of claim 1, wherein the postage indicium includesan indicia version number, algorithm identification, certificate serialnumber, device identification, ascending register, postage, date ofmailing, originating zip code, software identification, descendingregister, and rate category.
 10. The computer-usable medium of claim 1,wherein the plain text customs declaration form further includes a fieldfor providing a plain text value for the contents of the internationalpackage, a field for providing a plain text type for the contents of theinternational package, and a field for providing a plain text country oforigin for the international package.
 11. The computer-usable medium ofclaim 1, wherein the plain text description of the contents for theinternational package comprises free form plain text typed into mailingsoftware provided at the user computer.
 12. An online postage systemconfigured to enable a user computer to print an international shippinglabel for use within an international postal system, comprising: apostage-issuing computer system; and a first communications linkconnecting a user computer with the postage-issuing computer system,wherein the postage-issuing computer system is configured to: transmit aunique identifier request to a tracking computer system connected to thepostage-issuing computer system over a second communications link,wherein the tracking computer system generates a character string uniqueto the international postal system in response to the unique identifierrequest; store the unique character string generated at the trackingcomputer system in a database coupled to the postage-issuing computersystem generate a postage indicium in response to a request receivedfrom the user computer over the first communications link, wherein thepostage indicium is a self-validating postage indicium unique within theinternational postal system, the unique self-validating postage indiciumcontaining the unique character string generated at the trackingcomputer system and a digital signature derived from the uniquecharacter string; transmit the unique self-validating postage indiciumcontaining the unique character string to the user computer over thefirst communications link in response to the postage indicium requestreceived from the user computer; and enable the user computer to printan international shipping label having a plain text customs declarationform and the unique self-validating postage indicium printed thereon,wherein the plain text customs declaration form includes a field forproviding a plain text description of contents for an internationalpackage onto which the international shipping label is to be placed. 13.The system of claim 12, wherein the unique self-validating postageindicium includes a two-dimensional barcode.
 14. The system of claim 12,wherein postage-issuing computer system is further configured to enablethe user computer to select one of a global priority delivery type, aglobal airmail delivery type, or a global economy delivery type, theinternational shipping label further having the selected delivery typeprinted thereon.
 15. The system of claim 12, wherein the postageindicium includes an indicia version number, algorithm identification,certificate serial number, device identification, ascending register,postage, date of mailing, originating zip code, software identification,descending register, and rate category.
 16. The system of claim 12,wherein the postage-issuing computer system is further configured togrant refunds for induced postage transactions lost due to error. 17.The system of claim 12, wherein the plain text customs declaration formfurther includes a field for providing a plain text value for thecontents of the international package, a field for providing a plaintext type for the contents of the international package, and a field forproviding a plain text country of origin for the international package.18. An online postage system configured to enable a user computer toprint an international shipping label for use within an internationalpostal system, comprising: a postage-issuing computer system; and acommunications link connecting a user computer with the postage-issuingcomputer system, wherein the postage-issuing computer system isconfigured to: generate a postage indicium in response to a requestreceived from the user computer over the communications link, whereinthe postage indicium is a self-validating postage indicium unique withinthe international postal system, the unique self-validating postageindicium containing a unique character string and a digital signaturederived from the unique character string; transmit the uniqueself-validating postage indicium containing the unique character stringto the user computer over the communications link; and enable the usercomputer to print an international shipping label having a plain textcustoms declaration form, the unique self-validating postage indicium,and a customs form tracking number printed thereon, wherein the plaintext customs declaration form includes a field for providing a plaintext description of contents for an international package onto which theinternational shipping label is to be placed, and wherein the customsform tracking number is unique within the international postal systemand logically linked to the unique self-validating postage indicium andthe plain text customs declaration form printed on the internationalshipping label.
 19. The system of claim 18, wherein the postage-issuingcomputer system is further configured to transmit a unique identifierrequest to the tracking computer system over the second communicationslink in response to the request received from the user computer, whereinthe tracking computer system transmits the unique character string tothe postage-issuing computer system in response to the unique identifierrequest.
 20. The system of claim 18, further comprising a trackingcomputer system connected to the user computer over a secondcommunications link, wherein the user computer is further configured to:transmit a unique identifier request to the tracking computer systemover the second communications link; receive the unique character stringfrom the tracking computer system over the second communications link,wherein the tracking computer system is configured to transmit theunique character string to the user computer in response to the uniqueidentifier request; and transmit the unique character string to thepostage-issuing computer system over the communications link connectingthe user computer with the postage-issuing computer system.
 21. Thesystem of claim 18, wherein the unique character string comprises aunique tracking number.
 22. The system of claim 18, wherein thepostage-issuing computer system is further configured to apply a privatekey to the unique character string to derive the digital signature. 23.The system of claim 18, wherein the postage-issuing computer system isfurther configured to provide the user computer with import restrictionsfor a desired country where the international package is to be shipped.24. A method for operating an online postage system configured to enablea user computer to print an international shipping label for use withinan international postal system, comprising: receiving a request for apostage indicium at a postage-issuing computer system, wherein therequest is received over a communications link connecting a usercomputer with the postage-issuing computer system; generating thepostage indicium at the postage-issuing computer system in response tothe request received from the user computer, wherein the postageindicium is a self-validating postage indicium unique within theinternational postal system; the unique self-validating unique postageindicium containing a character string unique to the internationalpostal system and a digital signature derived from the unique characterstring; transmitting the unique self-validating postage indicium fromthe postage-issuing computer system to the user computer over thecommunications link; and enabling the user computer to print aninternational shipping label having a plain text customs declarationform, the unique self-validating postage indicium, and a customs formtracking number printed thereon, wherein the plain text customsdeclaration form includes a field for providing a plain text descriptionof contents for an international package onto which the internationalshipping label is to be placed, and wherein the customs form trackingnumber is unique within the international postal system and logicallylinked to the unique self-validating postage indicium and the plain textcustoms declaration form printed on the international shipping label.25. The method of claim 24, wherein the unique self-validating postageindicium includes a two-dimensional barcode.
 26. The method of claim 24,further comprising providing the user computer with import restrictionsfor a desired country where the international package, is to be shipped.27. The method of claim 24, further comprising providing the usercomputer with a harmonization table that maps a plurality of productdescriptions to a plurality of numerical harmonization schedule codes,wherein the plurality of numerical harmonization schedule codesrepresent plurality of product descriptions using an internationalclassification system.
 28. The method of claim 27, further comprisingproviding the user computer with import restrictions for a desiredcountry where the international package is to be shipped based on theplurality of numerical harmonization codes in the harmonization table.29. The method of claim 27, wherein the plain text description of thecontents for the international package comprises one or more of theplurality of numerical harmonization schedule codes identified in aBoolean search through the harmonization table provided to the usercomputer, the one or more numerical harmonization codes representing thecontents for the international package using the internationalclassification system.
 30. The method of claim 24, further comprisingenabling the user computer to select one of a global priority deliverytype, a global airmail delivery type, or a global economy delivery type,the international shipping label further having the selected deliverytype printed thereon.
 31. The method of claim 24, wherein the postageindicium includes an indicia version number, algorithm identification,certificate serial number, device identification, ascending register,postage, date of mailing, originating zip code, software identification,descending register, and rate category.
 32. The method of claim 24,wherein the plain text customs declaration form further includes a fieldfor providing a plain text value for the contents of the internationalpackage, a field for providing a plain text type for the contents of theinternational package, and a field for providing a plain text country oforigin for the international package.
 33. A non-transitorycomputer-usable medium communicatively coupled to an online postagesystem configured to enable a user computer to print an internationalshipping label for use within an international postal system, thecomputer-usable medium having a sequence of instructions which, whenexecuted on a processor, cause the processor to: generate a postageindicium in response to a request received from the user computer,wherein the postage indicium is a self-validating postage indiciumunique within the international postal system, the uniqueself-validating postage indicium containing a character string unique tothe international postal system and a digital signature derived from theunique character string; transmit the unique self-validating postageindicium to the user computer over a communications link; enable theuser computer to print an international shipping label having a plaintext customs declaration form and the unique self-validating postageindicium printed thereon, wherein the plain text customs declarationform includes a field for providing a plain text description of contentsfor an international package onto which the international shipping labelis to be placed; provide the user computer with a harmonization tablethat maps a plurality of product descriptions to a plurality ofnumerical harmonization schedule codes, wherein the plurality ofnumerical harmonization schedule codes represent the plurality ofproduct descriptions using an international classification system;provide the user computer with import restrictions for a desired countrywhere the international package is to be shipped based on the pluralityof numerical harmonization schedule codes in the harmonization table;and: trigger a warning message at the user computer in response todetermining that the import restrictions for the desired country applyto the contents of the international package.
 34. A non-transitorycomputer-usable medium communicatively coupled to an online postagesystem configured to enable a user computer to print an internationalshipping label for use within an international postal system, thecomputer-usable medium having a sequence of instructions which, whenexecuted on a processor, cause the processor to: generate a postageindicium in response to a request received from the user computer,wherein the postage indicium is a self-validating postage indiciumunique within the international postal system, the uniqueself-validating postage indicium containing a character string unique tothe international postal system and a digital signature derived from theunique character string; transmit the unique self-validating postageindicium to the user computer over a communications link; enable theuser computer to print an international shipping label having a plaintext customs declaration form and the unique self-validating postageindicium printed thereon, wherein the plain text customs declarationform includes a field for providing a plain text description of contentsfor an international package onto which the international shipping labelis to be placed; provide the user computer with a harmonization tablethat maps a plurality of product descriptions to a plurality ofnumerical harmonization schedule codes, wherein the plurality ofnumerical harmonization schedule codes represent the plurality ofproduct descriptions Using an international classification system;provide the user computer with import restrictions for a desired countrywhere the international package is to be shipped based on the pluralityof numerical harmonization schedule codes in the harmonization table;and prevent the user computer from printing the international shippinglabel in response to determining that the import restrictions for thedesired country apply to the contents of the international package. 35.An online postage system configured to enable a user computer to printan international shipping label for use within an international postalsystem, comprising: a postage-issuing computer system; and acommunications link connecting a user computer with the postage-issuingcomputer system, wherein the postage-issuing computer system isconfigured to: generate a postage indicium in response to a requestreceived from the user computer over the communications link, whereinthe postage indicium is a self-validating postage indicium unique withinthe international postal system, the unique self-validating postageindicium containing a unique character string and a digital signaturederived from the unique character string; transmit the uniqueself-validating postage indicium containing the unique character stringto the user computer over the communications link; enable the usercomputer to print an international shipping label having a plain textcustoms declaration form and the unique self-validating postage indiciumprinted thereon, wherein the plain text customs declaration formincludes a field for providing a plain text description of contents foran international package onto which the international shipping label isto be placed; provide the user computer with a harmonization table thatmaps a plurality of product descriptions to a plurality of numericalharmonization schedule codes, wherein the plurality of numericalharmonization schedule codes represent the plurality of productdescriptions using an international classification system; provide theuser computer with import restrictions for a desired country where theinternational package is to be shipped based on the plurality ofnumerical harmonization schedule codes in the harmonization table; andtrigger a warning message at the user computer or prevent the usercomputer from printing the international shipping label in response todetermining that the import restrictions for the desired country applyto the contents of the international package.
 36. The system of claim35, wherein the plain text description of the contents for theinternational package comprises one or more of the plurality ofnumerical harmonization schedule codes identified in a Boolean searchthrough the harmonization table provided to the user computer, the oneor more numerical harmonization codes representing the contents for theinternational package using the international classification system. 37.A method for operating an online postage system configured to enable auser computer to print an international shipping label for use within aninternational postal system, comprising: receiving a request for apostage indicium at a postage-issuing computer system, wherein therequest is received over a communications link connecting a usercomputer with the postage-issuing computer system; generating thepostage indicium at the postage-issuing computer system in response tothe request received from the user computer, wherein the postageindicium is a self-validating postage indicium unique within theinternational postal system, the unique self-validating unique postageindicium containing a character string unique to the internationalpostal system and a digital signature derived from the unique characterstring; transmitting the unique self-validating postage indicium fromthe postage-issuing computer system to the user computer over thecommunications link; enabling the user computer to print aninternational shipping label having a plain text customs declarationform and the unique self-validating postage indicium printed thereon,wherein the plain text customs declaration form includes a field forproviding a plain text description of contents for an internationalpackage onto which the international shipping label is to be placed;providing the user computer with a harmonization table that maps aplurality of product descriptions to a plurality of numericalharmonization schedule codes, wherein the plurality of numericalharmonization schedule codes represent plurality of product descriptionsusing an international classification system; providing the usercomputer with import restrictions for a desired country where theinternational package is to be shipped based on the plurality ofnumerical harmonization codes in the harmonization table; and triggeringa warning message at the user computer in response to determining thatthe import restrictions for the desired country apply to the contents ofthe international package.
 38. A method for operating an online postagesystem configured to enable a user computer to print an internationalshipping label for use within an international postal system,comprising: receiving a request for a postage indicium at apostage-issuing computer system, wherein the request is received over acommunications link connecting a user computer with the postage-issuingcomputer system; generating the postage indicium at the postage-issuingcomputer system in response to the request received from the usercomputer, wherein the postage indicium is a self-validating postageindicium unique within the international postal system, the uniqueself-validating unique postage indicium containing a character stringunique to the international postal system and a digital signaturederived from the unique character string; transmitting the uniqueself-validating postage indicium from the postage-issuing computersystem to the user computer over the communications link; enabling theuser computer to print an international shipping label having a plaintext customs declaration form and the unique self-validating postageindicium printed thereon, wherein the plain text customs declarationform includes a field for providing a plain text description of contentsfor an international package onto which the international shipping labelis to be placed; providing the user computer with a harmonization tablethat maps a plurality of product descriptions to a plurality ofnumerical harmonization schedule codes, wherein the plurality ofnumerical harmonization schedule codes represent plurality of productdescriptions using an international classification system; providing theuser computer with import restrictions for a desired country where theinternational package is to be shipped based on the plurality ofnumerical harmonization codes in the harmonization table; and preventingthe user computer from printing the international shipping label inresponse to determining that the import restrictions for the desiredcountry apply to the contents of the international package.